


Featherless Crow

by IvG



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Verse, Royalty, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29096691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvG/pseuds/IvG
Summary: Hinata is a prince, son to a king that refuses to acknowledge him. In his father's eyes, his son's only job is to bow to fate, produce an heir, and ensure the crown goes to an alpha that will take care of the country.That's a lot of pressure for a 17 year old just coming of age, right?As suitors come from far and wide to swoon the young omega, Hinata must find his fate and decipher who is in it for him and who is in it for the crown.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone!  
> Thank you for taking the time to read this.  
> It was on a whim, I'm not sure where it will go, but I'm happy to be writing again.

Featherless Crows

-Prologue-

Hinata did his best to hide his excitement, but there was no way to mask the pink blush on his cheeks or slow the words that left his mouth. This was the first party they had hosted in, how long? Surely he had just outgrown his diapers during the last one. He could recall the lights in the garden and the sound of cascading water in the fountains. He didn’t remember many faces, as he was still small and parallel to an adult’s thigh, but he could still picture the chubby faces of his childhood friends as they played in the valley a little ways away with the nanny’s supervision.  


When his father had summoned him six months ago, a rare event these days, and asked him to host a party, he thought it was a joke. He was speechless.  


“Are you slow-witted, boy?” His father asked with anger laced on his tongue.  


Hinata quickly fixed his dumbfounded stare and decided it was better to move on, “when should I plan this party?”  


“Isn’t it obvious? Its your seventeenth year, isn’t it?” He hmphed. “We need to find a suitable alpha, one that can take the crown, one that can produce an heir.”  


Hinata held stock-still, trying not to show the chill that slid down his spine. He suddenly felt on display, this wasn’t just a party for him to host. It was a party for himself that he would have to host. A party to find a partner, a partner to…  


Something felt entirely ridiculous about the situation, inviting people over to wow him, purposefully asking them to use him. By planning his own event it was like laying bear at an offering and waiting for the person that would present the largest gift.  


His father grumbled something low under his breath and Hinata was shaken from his thoughts. “If you’ve got nothing else to say we are done here. Nanny will help you with the details and Stanford will take care of the organization and ordering. You may leave.” He waved his hand in the direction of the door. Hinata bowed his head until it tapped the floor and then rose slowly to his feet. The large wooden doors were quickly opened and as soon as he walked out he exhaled the air he didn’t realize he was holding.  


Today was an odd day, wasn’t it? He thought as he walked back to his room. His hand glided across the arm-rail as he ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor. His hallway, which was once littered with family portraits, was now only a pewter painted canvas with white trim. He stopped a foot from his door, where a picture of his mother and brother used to be, trying his best to recall their faces. It had been ten years, though. And it was too hard to remember the details, only the shade of their hair and eyes coming to mind.  


“There you are, young prince!” Nanny called from down the hall. “I have been searching left and right for you, tracked this gown outdoors and all, only to find an inch of mud and rain. She hiked her skirt up high enough to keep the trim from touching the freshly polished marble floors.  


Hinata closed his eyesfor a second longer than usual, steeling himself for the onslaught of questions, burying the emotions he knew were bubbling to the surface.  
“I am sorry, nanny,” he smiled earnestly. “My father called me.”  


Nanny dropped her skirt, she caught her jaw from doing the same. “His highness? Whatever for?” She questioned, knowing full well that the king only summoned his omega son when he had something to nit-pick. Hinata was a model child, though. Always quiet and doing his best. Flying under the radar, so to speak.  


Hinata cleared his throat and pulled his vest down to tidy his clothes, “We are to host a party. A party for my seventeenth year.”  


It only took half a second for the words to process in nanny’s mind, she was much quicker to catch on than Hinata was. “Oh for heaven’s sake, its here, isn’t it? The fateful year is here!” She sounded happy, her eyes lighting up.  


“Nanny,” he brought her back down from the cloud she seemed to be flying off on. Hinata opened his bedroom door, granting them both access. “I don’t understand why you are so happy, isn’t this party an awful idea? All of those alphas here, competing, boasting, like I’m a prize to be won. And all because my father feels I am incompetent to rule on my own? It feels like I am giving into their preconceived notions that omegas are useless.” Hinata sat on his bed, his shoulders slouched with a physical weight.  


“When you think about it that way, I guess it would sound bad,” explained nanny, “but I had always thought of this day differently.” She pulled up a chair and made herself comfortable. “A person of the royal family can only ever be matched with their true fate. So, though suitors will come from far and wide, only one will be suitable. Only one can take the crown, only one can be the father to an heir, only one is worthy of your hand. That person, whomever they are, was selected by fate,” Nanny went on, her eyes wide like a child's.  


But what if that person, the person chosen by fate, is a terrible person? What if they are cruel and cold, or refuse to see me? What if all they want is the crown?”  


Nanny took Hinata’s hand as it lay there defeatedly, she wrapped it in her own, providing the only motherly warmth he has known these last ten years.  


“But what if he’s not, young prince, what if,” she placed her thin finger under his chin and raised his head to the appropriate level every noble should carry themselves at, “what if he is someone that can warm this cold life of yours? Someone that will bring back that happy, clumsy boy, with a genuine smile and love for life. The one that I remember.” 

brown eyes quivered slowly in their sockets as they scanned nanny's face. Her blue eyes were framed by gray strands that had fallen from the tie that held her hair back. Her thin lips were pulled into a relaxed smile, her features visibly glowing and emanating excitement.  


“How can you be so sure?” Hinata asked wearily, wondering if nanny was too optimistic. She had always been honest and blunt, so Hinata assumed she had a good judge of character but maybe he was wrong.  


“I don’t know, of course. I’ve never met this person. But what I do know is that if fate personally picked this person for you, then they must be great.”

Hinata clung to the word's nanny said for six months, throwing his all into planning the best party anyone had attended. He had laid in bed for months fantasizing about this mysterious person he would meet, wondering if he would know instantly or if it would be a game of growing passion. When the day finally came he was dressed in a suit made of fabric the color of a midnight sky, a crown adorned with gold jewels that used to feel like it weighed ten pounds sat atop his tidy head feeling weightless. That morning he had danced, he had hummed, he had smiled.

He really did his best to contain his excitement, but he couldn't help the blush that climbed to his cheeks when he heard the trumpets sound the arrival of his guests.


	2. The Unknowing One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party for his seventeenth year has started and Hinata is feeling anxious. He feels an abundance of pressure from his father and the sea of alphas that have come to see him. He should have only one job: find his mate. But that's hard to do when his mind is crawling with worry over forming a connection with a random stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that this chapter is longer than the first. As a reader, sometimes I enjoy long chapters if they provide a lot of content. At other times, I enjoy shorter chapters as they are less overwhelming. This chapter is longer, as I found myself being swept away by character emotions.

Hinata sat by his father in a grand chair, under a deep blue colored canopy that was adorned with lanterns and lights. While he kept his eyes fixated on the objects and people ahead of him, pretending to be immersed in the party, his party, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. This was the closest he had been to his father in years, even at dinner they sat quadruple this distance. 

His father was dressed in a black suit, a red sash of honor across his chest and tied into a large knot at his waist. This represented his royal status. The knot of the sash was highly decorated with pins and emblems he had received while serving the legion and working as the right hand to his father, the king before him. To his father, those pins represented worth. 

Hinata looked at his own attire and smoothed his hands over his lightly decorated slacks, which he just realized looked very different from his fathers. Where his fathers looked every bit masculine, his looked feminine in a way. His fabric was softer, a shimmer to it caught by the light of the night. He, too, had jewels upon his head and suit, but none of them held meaning. Sure, some of them had been given as gifts for passing a class or completing a task, such as lessons in speech and etiquette, but most had been bought and applied for show. To make him prettier, to show his wealth. 

His father gave out a booming laugh and Hinata jumped on instinct at the noise. His father had only ever used that volume when throwing insults his way. He relaxed his grip on the chair and counted to ten in his head, letting out a deep breath to relieve his stress. 

“This is a fine party, my boy!” His father grabbed a chalice from a nearby plate and guzzled it. How many did that make so far? And the party had just begun. 

Hinata preened at the compliment, happy that his father was satisfied for once. 

“Now, your only job tonight is to find an alpha worthy of this,” he pointed at the heavily decorated diadem on his head. “One that can sire an heir.” 

Hinata shook his head clumsily. 

“So get out of your seat and talk to them,” he pointed at the crowd of leering alphas. All were dressed to the nines, some stood by and openly gawked, others cast a glance every minute or so. 

Hinata suddenly felt uneasy. There were a lot of people in attendance tonight and the scent of the crowd was overwhelming. How would he know? How did he approach them when they were so tall, intimidating, a wall he could not reach? He visibly shook like a cornered rabbit and his father grasped his shoulder tight enough to make him wince, all while portraying a smile so the crowd could not read his displeasure. “If you fail, I will disown you. If you fail to find a match and sire a bond, I will have no choice but to produce a new heir that can. I may be getting old in years but I am still capable of such. Do not disappoint me, Hinata,” the last sentence came out like a hiss between gritted teeth, the clutch of his hand tightening just a fraction. 

Hinata quickly buried his emotions, limiting that frantic shake to his mind alone so that it could not be seen from the outside. His father just threatened him, to revoke him of his title. “I won’t, father,” he assured with a nod and rose from his chair. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth as he watched all eyes move with his every step. 

A drink, I need a drink, he thought to himself and decided he would go get a refreshment. The alphas certainly didn’t make it easy for him to invade their social circle, all looming and giving off the vibes of a predator. 

Hinata looked past their eyes and focused on the beautifully decorated gardens. He did his best to reenact the party he had attended years ago, deciding immediately it needed to be on the patio garden a half-mile behind the castle. The patio was made with large stone, its age evident by the dips and cracks of settled land and thinly decorated moss. From the patio branched four walkways, each walkway taking the visitor to a different section of the garden. Large stone walls, shaped like the crescent of the moon, stood on the perimeter of the patio in sections. Hinata ran his hand against one as he walked, his fingers gracefully gliding over the green vines and hanging flowers. Hinata reached the refreshment table, situated close by the musicians in the middle of a melody, and for a moment he thought he could lose himself in the sound. 

However, it was impractical to think he could have a moments peace at a party this large. As soon as his cup was filled he heard a grunt behind him. 

“Your Highness,” a stranger with silver hair and bright blue eyes said, his head lowering into a deep bow. 

Hinata bowed his head also, but not as low, as this was customary of omegas. 

The strangers pale skin turned slightly pink on the top of his cheeks and he smiled brightly. “I am Prince Haiba of the Cadora Dynasty, it is a pleasure to attend your party this evening.” 

“The Cadora Dynasty…” Hinata thought for a moment, geography was a class he excelled in. “You crossed two seas to be here, how long did that trip take?” 

“Nearly two weeks, I’ve never missed land so much in my life,” he laughed, “but the water was calm and for that I am thankful.”

“I would very much like to take an adventure like that,” Hinata decided, “it must have been exciting.” 

“We passed many ports and met many people, we tried a variety of food and drink, I would be pleased to take you on such an adventure. I do believe you would enjoy my homeland. It is rather cold in the winters, but very beautiful.” 

And just like that Hinata found himself swept up in a conversation with Prince Haiba. A conversation he hadn’t realized he had been craving until tonight. They talked and laughed and Hinata felt, for just a moment, connected to another person. Like a relationship, a bond was being formed. 

“Your Highness,” another cleared his throat, but it was only his father’s attendant. “His majesty would like to introduce you to some of his guests and has asked that you seek him immediately.” 

Hinata instantly felt disheartened. Prince Haiba seemed equally disappointed. They bowed and parted. 

“Father?” Hinata called out, searching for his father, when suddenly a hand gripped his wrist and pulled him behind the stone wall before he could make a yelp. A hand was pressed to his mouth, making him feel depleted of air and for a second he began to kick and squirm, until he realized it was his father that stared at him like a killer in the night. 

“Do not make a sound,” his father enunciated each word clearly in his ear.

Hinata shook his head vigorously in a ‘yes’ motion and sucked in a lungful of air when he was released. 

“What in the Hell are you doing, boy?” His father asked in his usual degrading manor, his mouth so close Hinata could smell the liquor on his breath. 

“I’m… I’m attending the party. I’m finding an alpha just as you asked.”

His father shook his head, agreeing, but he had his hand on his head as if he were losing patience. “Yes, I asked you to find an alpha. But the party has been in full swing for near an hour and you’ve spoken with one. One! All of these nobles in attendance and you look like a love-struck puppy with the first person you’ve met. Can you not feel it? Their pride? Their anger?” 

Hinata hadn’t realized it, not while talking with Prince Haiba.

“Why did they not ask to speak with me?” He asked. If they were interested in a match shouldn’t they have sought him out. 

His father laughed and it only made him feel stupid. “What have you learned in all these years? Have I not bought the best teachers?” His voice was growing louder and Hinata was worried others would overhear. “It is the job of the omega to work the room. It is your job,” the king jabbed him harshly in the chest, “to find your bond.” 

What did that even mean to find a bond? How did he know what a bond felt like? “What if my bond is Prince Haiba?” Hinata asked, he certainly felt like he could like the man. 

The king sneered, “Prince Haiba? Prince Haiba?” His voice grew mocking, “he is hardly a prince, with three brothers before him. His country is cold and relies heavily on trade, with very little produce coming from within their walls. He would use our country for trade and deplete it of its resources without a second thought to the people he was taking them from!”

Hinata mulled the thought over but it just didn’t seem right. Prince Haiba did not give off the aura of a careless person. 

“Father how...how will I know when I have met my match? Is there a feeling or smell or look or mark, is there anything that can help me pick one person apart from the many here?”

His father’s expression became blank, as if he could not process the words Hinata had just spoken. “How am I to teach you what to feel when I am not an omega? I know what a partner feels like from an alpha’s point of view, but not as an omega. An alpha will feel the need to protect you, the need to be near you. You will feel a connection to that person as well. Now, come, let me introduce you to some people I personally invited.”

Hinata let his father fix his clothes, he let him place his heavy hand on the back of his shoulder and steer him back to the party. The sun had completely set and the garden was fully lit, from the fountains to the floating lanterns. Everyone had a drink in hand and engaged in deep conversation. The musicians began a speedy song with the violin. 

Hinata couldn’t enjoy it though, for he was too far in thought. How would he know when a connection was formed? A connection filled with which emotions? He felt a connection to Prince Haiba, a form of endearment and curiosity. He felt playful and light-hearted. If that wasn’t the connection his father was speaking of, then what was? Would he become a maniac of love or revert to primal desire? Would he feel the need to lay bare for that person or be overcome with the instinct to put his life on the line for theirs? 

Suddenly Hinata’s feet felt heavy, what if this connection was a cure? Nanny had been so hopeful that his partner would be kind, but what if that was not the case? What if his partner was a bastard, a jerk that mistreated him. Would he be compelled to love that person due to some invisible fate? The thoughts swirling in his mind made him nauseous and he cupped his hand to his mouth just in case. 

“Son,” Hinata heard his father’s voice, though it sounded distant to his ears. He saw dark, shiny shoes on the ground and followed the longest of legs up until he found a face. “Let me introduce you to Kuroo, the Crown Prince of Soalle.


End file.
